Contributions By Joe Klare

As the Marijuana Policy Project collects signatures to get their medical cannabis measure on the fall ballot, the Ohio legislature will consider a bill that would allow licensed doctors to prescribe marijuana for any ailment at all.

It’s been an interesting ride for supporters of recreational cannabis legalization in Vermont over the last few months. Earlier this year Governor Peter Shumlin called for legalization in his final State of the State address. A decent bill cleared the Senate and made its way to the House.

Marijuana retailers in Washington near the Oregon border have seen a steep decline in sales since medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon began selling recreational cannabis. Several factors contribute to this, but the bottom line is: you can’t repeal the laws of economics.

If you are a patient in Florida that needs medical cannabis, it’s hard to know exactly where you stand. If you are interested in getting into the medical cannabis industry in Florida, it’s even harder to know where to go from here.

New medical marijuana regulations in California are certainly shaking up the industry there. From new licenses and agencies to growing bans being passed all over the state, the California government is certainly making its presence known within the industry.

Federal officials announced last week that they are looking into the possible rescheduling of cannabis in the federal Controlled Substances Act and that they should make a decision by July. As many of you know, cannabis’ classification as a Schedule I drug means the federal government maintains that it is highly addictive with no medical value.

The effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Maine is back on track after a judge overturned a ruling by the Secretary of State’s office that had invalidated thousands of signatures turned in by The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

As many of you know, the sale, possession and growing of a limited amount of cannabis is allowed in Colorado for those aged 21 years or older. In Denver there are many places you can buy cannabis, yet the only place you can smoke it is in your own home or on someone else’s private property if they give you permission.

In other words, someone who drinks alcohol can go to any number of bars or lounges or restaurants and drink as much as they want, but someone who has legally purchased cannabis does not have that option.

According to some, there is a growing problem in Denver, Colorado. It seems that some marijuana shops are within the magical 1,000-foot buffer zone in regard to schools. According to the Denver Post, about two-dozen cannabis stores are within 1,000 feet of a school; this is out of a total 215 shops in the city.